Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul and Attorney General James Update New Yorkers on Nonpartisan Efforts to Protect Voting Rights and Public Safety During[...]

Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul and Attorney General James Update New Yorkers on Nonpartisan Efforts to Protect Voting Rights and Public Safety During 2024 Elections

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James today provided an update on nonpartisan efforts to protect voting rights and public safety across New York State during the 2024 elections. Those efforts include statewide, multi-agency resources to combat misinformation and respond to any impediments to voting. This continues the Governor's and Attorney General's longstanding commitment to safeguarding the voting rights of all New Yorkers.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page has photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Good  morning. Good morning. It's great to be back in Brooklyn, the great home of people like Shirley Chisholm, Una Clarke, Meg Rivers, all those great champions who led the march to voting, running for office and reminding us of those sacred rights that we treasure. This has always been a home to places who supported the march for civil rights. So there's no better place to talk about our most important and fundamental right as an American, that is the right to vote.

Now with early voting officially underway, I'm here to update you on our ongoing efforts to uphold the voting process, voting rights, and the voting safety of all New Yorkers over the next couple days, eight days, and once the polls close.

Let me be very clear about this. This work is nonpartisan. It's not about who you vote for. And as Governor, it's my duty to protect the right of every citizen to safely participate in our elections. It's a solemn responsibility, and one I take very seriously. As do my partners joining me here today. And I want to acknowledge the incredible work of our Attorney General, Letitia James.

You'll be hearing from her momentarily about the office, her efforts to make sure that these elections run smoothly and the action she's prepared to take in case of any situations that arise. I want to thank her for always being a champion for New Yorkers and a tremendous partner in government. Senator Kevin Parker has joined us, Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, Councilmember Farah Louis, also joined by members of my team, the Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Jackie Bray, as well as the Director of Counterterrorism at DHSES, Ben Voce-Gardner, and the Superintendent of State Police, Steven James, and Deputy Superintendent for Counterterrorism, Andrew Crowe, and as well as Colin Ahern, our State's Chief Cyber Officer.

These are the individuals that I have my confidence in to ensure that the next election, in eight days, ongoing and the weeks and days afterward is necessary. We'll be ensuring the election integrity of what happens here in New York. As we know, up and down the ballot, you'll be electing your candidates for every office, from city and town councils in some cases, all the way to our congressional representatives, to the President of the United States.

Today is day three of early voting here in New York, and some of you may have already voted. But no matter when or how you cast your ballot, whether you vote by mail or in person, I hope that a New Yorker will take a moment just to pause and reflect on what that right really means and how fortunate we are as Americans to share in this sacred right.

Because almost half of the world's population live in countries where either you cannot vote or your vote has no impact on the outcome of an election. Conversely, here in America your vote absolutely matters. And that's never something we can take for granted. And there's a long history of our country's battles.

Many before us have lost their lives on battlefields, shed blood in our streets, marched, demanding this right. And I think about the brave men and women who've served in our country, in our military, but also in elective office. Like my friend John Lewis, former member of Congress, who was beaten bloody on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the Selma to Montgomery March.

Our history has been shaped by patriots and pioneers who fought to protect this precious right. Also been protected by unsung heroes, those whose names will not appear in history books, but do the essential work of upholding our democracy. These individuals, they have jobs, they have kids, they have parents to take care of. Yet they still give of their time and their energy as our poll workers and elections inspectors.

It's a remarkable gesture of patriotism on their part as well. So to all the election volunteers, the workers, poll workers, I want to thank you because your work stabilizes our democracy and truly makes a difference. And it's because of you, our fire stations and school gyms and libraries, community centers and places like this one are transformed into hallowed places, we all go to exercise the most fundamental right in our democracy.

Now, as I've traveled the state a great deal recently, a number of people have expressed concerns about this election, especially with some of the inflammatory and extremist rhetoric and misinformation you've seen on social media feeds or heard from your friends, neighbors or relatives.

That's what I want to address today: I'm here to assure you that we have measures in place to ensure the election process runs smoothly and safely for everyone. New Yorkers should be confident that no matter where you live or where you vote, you'll be able to cast that vote safely and without issue. Because over the past year, teams from various agencies - Homeland Security and Emergency Services, our Office of information and Technology Services, our Cyber Security Offices - they have been hard at work preparing for all scenarios in this election. They've gamed them out in close coordination with boards of elections and are ready to be there to support in any way necessary.

Now, that could be anything from dealing with a power outage to Internet or service disruptions to weather related road closures - we've seen it all in every corner of the State. And it's this cooperation and partnership that will ensure that every voter can cast their ballot and have voted, no matter what happens. Also, on top of these interagency preparations, New York has invested the resources necessary: $140 million in State and federal funds to modernize our election infrastructure here in New York. Now that's money well spent, upgrading equipment and improving security protocols at boards of elections around the State. We're also investing significant dollars in new e-poll books and postage for local boards of elections. And the last few years, counties have received almost $11 million to strengthen cybersecurity.

And as you make your plans to vote, if you've not already, some of you may encounter misinformation - whether it's an incorrect polling site, unfounded claims that votes aren't being counted, or false misleading images produced by artificial intelligence. On social media, baseless theories can spread like wildfire, making it hard to separate fact from fiction. And whether it's inaccurate rumors that circulate intentionally or by accident, the end result could be the same: Voters are worried. They feel disenfranchised, disillusioned about our democratic system.

But we're not powerless. Together, we can stop the false rumors from spreading. Here's how you can help: If you spot incorrect information about the election, your polling place - anything that does not seem right to you - contact your Board of Elections. We'll get that information out to all of you. Second, get your voting information directly from the Board of Elections. Just go to elections.ny.gov and with a few easy clicks, you can find out information on how and where to vote and learn about the exhaustive measures in place to protect the integrity of this election.

Now, it's also very possible that we won't have some clear winners in every race on election night. Tailing all the votes and declaring all the official winners can take time. That's totally normal, especially in tight races.

So, that leads me to the last thing I want to discuss today, and that's the immediate aftermath of the election.

A recent poll shows that 62 percent of Americans - 62 percent - worry about post election violence; that it could be at least somewhat likely. Now, that's extremely disturbing. That has not been the case in the past. It reflects the concerns that I've also heard from people concerned at the diners and the coffee shops and union halls.

Today, I want to ease those concerns and to promise you that New York stands ready to manage any election related protests, demonstrations or whatever in the hours and days following November 5. I've directed the New York State Police and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to assist local law enforcement agencies statewide to ensure that any large gatherings or protests remain peaceful and safe.

We have the best of the best, both within the New York State Police, as well as on Commissioner Bray's team. They're trained for this. They've been tabletopping this. They're prepared for this over months and months, and if not years, preparing for these days.

As always, my top priority is keeping New Yorkers safe. And we can and we will uphold the right to free speech while protecting public safety. The work we've done in advance of this election that I've spoken to you about is part of a larger mission to expand and protect access to the ballot box. That's why back in 2022 when voting rights were under siege in states nationwide, I signed the most expansive state-level Voting Rights Act in the country.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act cracks down on voter suppression, deception and intimidation. We've made it possible for New Yorkers to vote early by mail. We've made it easier with early voting and training for poll workers, safeguarding absentee ballots; also enacting protection against AI in political communications. And we've helped young people and traditionally underrepresented groups to register and cast their ballots because we know that democracy is stronger when everyone participates.

I'll close with this. 176 years ago, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and roughly 300 other brave women, and a few enlightened men, gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, where they launched the nation's women's suffrage movement.

They were willing to take risks - being alienated from society, their families - because they wanted a real say in the world around them, and they knew that voting was the only way. It was true then, and remains true today. So I urge all of you to get out there, make your voices heard, honor those who fought this fight for decades, if not centuries, and do so with the full confidence that we're ensuring that your access to your polling place will be safe, easy and accessible.

Now, I'll turn it over to my great partner, New York State Attorney General Tish James, who can talk more about what her office is doing to protect New Yorkers from election related misinformation. Attorney General James.

Contact the Governor's Office